We would like to rent in Munich, drive the authobahn down to the Alps and then drive to Rothenburg but my husbvand sasys the only drop off point is in Heidelberg - which is crazy since that is a 4 hour tain ride fromRothenburg.
Has anyone done this and what would be a good rental car place?
He was looking at Europcar
Looks like Europcar has an office at the railway station in Würzburg, an hour's ride by regional train from Rothenburg. The fare from Würzburg to Rothenburg is €11,50 pP 2nd cl.
Accoding to Europcar, there is also a drop off in Ansbach (don't know the open times), 38-49 min from Rothenburg ob der Tauber Bhf. A VGN TagesTicket Plus, available at the Ansbach station automat for €12,50, will cover both of you from Ansbach to Rothenburg.
You do know that when you drive towards the Alps you will be driving away from Rothenburg. With a Bayern-Ticket, you could take the train in the morning to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, have lunch, then take trains (less than 5 hours) back via Munich to Rothenburg, all for €28 for both of you.
Hi Susan,
I'd recommend calling (or emailing) Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com for rental car prices and advice. We used them for our last two trips and the prices and service were excellent. Very helpful people.
Paul
In 2007, I got a quote from Gemut for $272 for a car for a week - pick up in Munich, drop off in Würzburg. I went from Munich to Oberammergau, side trip to Linderhof, then to Wieskirche and up the Romantic Road via Rothenburg, Weikersheim, and Bad Mergentheim to Würzburg. According to ViaMichelin, fuel would have cost another $74, for $346, total. Using trains (Bayern-Tickets) and buses, I actually spent a total of €90 ($122 at the then exch. rate).
Lee - what type of car did you drive?
I didn't drive.
The quote ($272) was for some kind of a minimally sized puddle-jumper, a hatchback as I remember.
Day 1: Train from MUC to Oberammergau with Bayern-Ticket.
Day 2: Bus RT to Linderhof.
Day 3: Bus/train via Wieskirche to Landsberg, B-T.
Day 4: Train via Donauwörth and Harburg to Nördlingen, B-T.
Day 5: Bus to Feuchtwangen via Dinkelsbühl.
Day 6: Bus to Weikersheim via Rothenburg.
Day 7: Bus to Bad Mergentheim, train to Würzburg.
Total for public transportaion - €90.
There are 3 Europcar locations in Ansbach per Google Maps. There is also a Europcar at the Nuremberg Airport. (There is no airport surcharge for dropping off at airports, just picking up.) It is 127 km from Rothenburg. The reason I like that location is they have longer hours and are open 7 days a week, and I can hop on the U-Bahn easily to the main train-station. I have used it once before and will use it, again, even though I was staying in Ansbach.
I would also check with gemut and ask Andy or Bob Bestor where the nearest drop off point to Rothenburg would be. They are a broker and deal with several rental companies and would know which has the closest place that would work better for you. They have a toll free number which you can get off their website.
Thanks Lane. I did just that! I left a msg. on Fridy eveniong. We don't want to change our itinerary just to drop off a car.....
Thank you everyone for your replies!
All of the offices, Ansbach, Würzburg, and Nürnberg are open until 6 PM weekdays. Ansbach is closer to Rothenburg than Nürnberg and farther south (closer to Munich and the Alps) than Würzburg. The fares to Rothenburg are €10,50 pP from Würzburg, €14,70 for two from Nürnberg, and €12,50 for two from Ansbach.
I'd drop in Ansbach.
